


Shattered and Remade

by Gypsyn



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: (redone version), Attempted Rape, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hanyou!Kagome trope (sorta), Happy Ending, Soul exploration trope, Torture, rated for the smut at the last chapter, sharing memories trope, this is probably my darkest fic to date
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-04-30 14:06:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gypsyn/pseuds/Gypsyn
Summary: Naraku's new demon wields the power to attack the soul directly. His target? Kagome. The attack leaves her barely alive and her soul shattered. Now the only way to save her is if Inuyasha agrees to share a bit of his soul and healing ability with her. But the spell is more binding than anyone anticipated and shows him more of his miko than he ever thought he'd see.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So This is the Redone version of SAR. My Original version of this is still on ff.net here:  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11940182/1/Shattered-and-Remade
> 
> This story has FANART!!!  
> https://gypsin.tumblr.com/post/153591467278/inunanna-grapefruitwannabe-shattered-and

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since he’d first woken up and found Kagome missing, her shoes still by her bedroll, Shippou unmoved. He’d felt unnerved. The discovery of Naraku’s stench leading right up to that bedroll though…  
> The exact second it registered exactly what that meant he lost it.

'I have to hurry.'

Inuyasha's pace was unmatched as he tracked the faintest of scents through the woods. There was no footpath. Regardless, Inuyasha's prey and his precious cargo had kept low to the ground as possible, only occasionally jumping from tree to tree and avoiding thorn bushes and questionably high grasses that would have preserved more of the scent.

Inuyasha now followed those footsteps, careful not to let a single detail escape his nose or his eyes. High above him, he could hear the others trying to keep up. Sango and Miroku flew on Kirara's back searching from the skies. Shippo had branched off in bird form keeping a lookout. But now that they all knew he had the scent again and was gaining at last, they stayed close. The hunt was coming to an end.

'I have to hurry.' The thought was a panic fueled mantra at this point. Repeating over and over in his head as every precious second slipped away.

Ever since he’d first woken up and found Kagome missing, her shoes still by her bedroll, Shippou unmoved. He’d felt unnerved. The discovery of Naraku’s stench leading right up to that bedroll though…  
The exact second it registered exactly what that meant he lost it.

Everyone else in camp jerked awake violently as he called her name in panic and took to the trees to search for her.  
"Kagome!?" "Kagome!" "KAGOME!!!"

By now, she’d been missing most of the night and that morning. Taken into the woods for some unknown purpose. He had little and sometimes even no scent to follow. But whoever took her had underestimated his ability and his determination.  
So what if there was no scent? He could track for a while without it.  
The scent would backtrack a way and converge on distraction scents? That might fool a dog but never a dog demon. Rivers? Thorns? Wild animals? No problem. Especially not while The thought of Kagome in danger drove him to the edge.

'I have to hurry.'

And she WAS in danger. He was certain of it. Sure sometimes she pulled her wild card powers out of the bag and astonished everyone... But judging from her scent at the base she'd most likely been gone for 6 hours. An enemy could do a lot in that time. This search had dragged it out to seven hours so far, And he knew better than to trust Kagome's life with her unstable miko powers. They just weren't reliable enough.

The trail was getting stronger and with it came the familiar salty scent of tears and the bitter copper smell of blood. This was probably the area where she had woken up and struggled against her captor. Inuyasha felt his stomach drop.

'Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay...' he prayed as he bolted forward.

He heard the others cry out in dismay up above him almost as though they were in pain. He feared that they'd already seen what he could smell.  
More blood just up ahead.

As he jumped through the last of the brush and into a clearing, his eyes grew wide with alarm and he slammed to a stop as quickly as possible. When he did, he looked up at a flickering opal wall of light that shifted between blue, pink and white in front of him. He stared at the light with surprise as it rippled.

“A-A barrier?” he panted

He focused just beyond the wall of energy and it was like the world stopped turning.

There at the center of the barrier was Kagome. She laid half-curled on the ground, like a carelessly discarded doll.  
But worse, blood was EVERYWHERE. It drenched her hair and her tattered clothes. It was splattered all over the trees and rocks and small pools of it were forming under her broken body. He couldn't see her face for the mess of tangled black hair.

"Kagome?" he whispered, barely able to force the name from his lips at all. To his amazement, the barrier flared brighter and dulled again, as if it was acknowledging him.  
Hope reluctantly flared to life inside of him.  
"KAGOME!" he shouted now.  
The barrier flared up even brighter at his voice. He felt something almost like heat pour off its surface and pulled away not daring to touch it just yet.

When the light died down again he took a moment to breathe and think, then he noticed something else.  
The blood around him wasn't ALL Kagome's. It smelled like a demon’s blood. And now that he thought about it, he realized he must have been truly panicked to have thought for even a second Kagome could have bled that much alive OR dead. He took a steadying breath through his mouth, trying to ignore the thick scent of blood for a moment. He took a deep breath through his mouth in an attempt to calm down, and then another through his nose.

Under the scent of blood, the more complex scents started to come to him. First and foremost, he noticed Naraku's scent. Most likely from the blood of the demon who had taken her. Not Naraku himself, Inuyasha was certain. More likely another incarnation.

He looked around much more carefully now and realized there were shards of a broken sword embedded in the trees...bits of demon gore, bones, and pieces of samyosho all around the clearing as well.  
Had Kagome..? He was in awe but at the same time... This newly found power was terrifying. He wasn't even sure if it could understand that he was here to help.

True, he could have broken the barrier with his sword but... He was positive that this was Kagome's barrier, and she was badly hurt. What would happen to her if he forced his way through? Maybe nothing. Or maybe it would weaken her even more. If he could avoid the sword, he wanted to.  
But if it was Kagome's barrier then maybe…

He hesitantly reached out and pressed his claws against the barrier meeting a solid surface. When he felt no pain, his fingertips then his palm soon followed. A small relief filled him.

It was warm as flesh and solid as a granite wall beneath his hand. He pushed gently against it. But it didn't give in the slightest. Instead, he felt a faint probing energy spark beneath his fingertips and brush against his aura. He explored with his own energy, testing the feel of the barrier.  
The energy felt like Kagome's... Comforting and warm. And yet... Just behind the initial warmth was a strangely disjointed feeling. Like something was very very wrong. He looked down at her broken form on the ground. He already knew something was wrong.

"Kagome I-It's me, Inuyasha. I-" He hesitated, his ears wilting in shame. He'd almost said 'I came to save you.' But that would be wrong. It was far too late to save Kagome. She was in a bloody heap on the ground. He had utterly failed her. She'd somehow saved herself.

"I came to get you out of here," he amended, fighting his self-loathing and shame to the best of his ability. Even if he hadn't been able to save her she still needed to be taken somewhere safe. He could hate himself after she was better.

As if he had uttered some secret password, the barrier flickered brighter, almost blindingly so, and then melted away before him. He carefully walked through what had been so solid just a second ago.  
And then the real scent of her blood hit him hard.

"Kagome?!"  
She made no response. Even when he hit the ground beside her and carefully scooped her up in his arms. Her body was cold and limp. She was barely breathing.  
He gritted his teeth and held her close as he leapt from the clearing. The others soon far behind him.

'I need to hurry...'

(-)

"Inuyasha."  
The half-demon was drawn from his anxious retrospection only to look up and see Sango looming over him with a sympathetic expression.  
"Inuyasha, Kaede-Obabba says she wants to talk to you now."

"Got it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on FF.Net here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3783208/Gypsyn  
> -  
> I'm on Tumblr here: https://gypsin.tumblr.com/  
> and here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/punapurreciator (if you want my Miraculous Ladybug blog)  
> -  
> My Deviantart page is here: https://gypsyn13.deviantart.com/


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "On top of everything else Kagome-chan’s soul has been shattered."
> 
> "...What?" he managed, looking down at the old woman In disbelief and confusion.

Inuyasha rose and followed Sango around the corner of the sick hut just as Kaede exited the hut.  
The old Priestess said a few passing words to Sango as she re-entered, then turned her attention to the anxious Hanyou.

He walked forward. The constant knot of worry sitting in his gut making him want to turn back and run away from the old woman and whatever news she had for him.

But at the same time, he wanted to rush past her and sit at Kagome's side too. It wasn't fair that everyone else seemed to get to see her while he had to sit outside like an ill-behaved child. 

He stopped beside the old woman, ignoring the knot twisting as he did so.  
"How bad is she?" Inuyasha managed to ask, his eyes pleading and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

The old woman sighed. "Kagome-chan’s injuries are great indeed. If she should by some miracle survive tonight I dare say she will likely be scarred for the rest of her life."

The words were like physical blows as they forced him to face the unimaginable. Kagome fading away and dying overnight. Kagome scraping by with her life only to come away scarred. 

Still, scarred was better than dead. Scarred was something people got past all the time. And who knew? Her time might be able to fix scars. They could fix just about anything else. And even If they couldn't fix it. He wouldn't let anyone make her feel ugly over a few scars. 

They'd cross that bridge when they got to it, and he’d be there with her all the way. But for now, they needed to focus on making sure she survived that long. 

He nodded stiffly for the priestess to continue, but she seemed to hesitate. Her expression shifted momentarily to pitying. With the look he steeled himself.

"And... she shows all the physical signs of having been tortured."  
Regardless of being ready for bad news, Inuyasha felt a terrible wave of anger, grief and guilt wash over him all the same. 'This is all my fault,' Condemned his heart. 'If only I had made her stay in her own time back then... If only I had kept watch last night. If only I had woken up sooner...'

"How bad?" he repeated in a tightly controlled voice.  
The old woman’s expression of pity deepened. "It appears that the demon used a knife on her. There are many cuts, most very strategically placed to cause pain but not to kill. Others are deep. Her chest and hips were the worst. They were perhaps meant to be the killing blows. But if that was all..."  
Old Kaede sighed. "On top of everything else Kagome-chan’s soul has been shattered."

"...What?" he managed, looking down at the old woman In disbelief and confusion.

"While I was treating her wounds,” Kaede explained, “I felt that something was wrong on a deeper level. Something strange in her aura. I could only manage to peer into young Kagome's soul for a moment with Miroku-san’s assistance, but, it looked akin to a shattered mirror."

'The weird feeling I got when I felt out her barrier,' he realized.

"As such, Miroku and I believe that this particular demon perhaps had the power to damage souls directly."  
"But... Kagome's soul is so powerful," he protested weakly.

"Aye, and she proved that," Kaede conceded. "Reiki comes from the soul, but even after so much damage was done, she STILL had the strength to kill her attacker, AND put up a barrier. Before today I would have told ye such a feat was impossible."

Kaede's one good eye fixed on him seriously. "By all rights, we should be burying poor Kagome today. Her survival up to this point is nothing less than miraculous."

A horrible image welled up in his mind of laying Kagome down in a hole and having to leave her behind in it. Having to toss the dirt down on her as she laid there empty and cold. Or just as bad if not worse feeding her body to a fire. Having to smell it... His stomach turned and clenched painfully. Both from the bleak diagnosis and the idea of putting his dearest friend to rest in such a way.

The words, "She won't... Right?" tumbled between Inuyasha’s lips insensibly. He already knew Kaede didn’t have the answer to that question, She’d just said as much. But in the face of such a potentially heavy loss, he felt the need for any sort of hope he could cling to. Even false hope.

And Kaede, She had a quietly knowing expression in her eye. She could see it, he knew she could. That he was ever so slightly starting to lose his grip on the fear. Perhaps it came with being the village healer, with so many years of breaking the news to grieving husbands and wives. "We have time yet," she sighed softly. Not quite the denial he longed to hear but still enough to give him the hope he needed to pull himself together.

He breathed out softly.

 

"Is there anything I can do to help her?" he asked, rising to his full height to stare at the old woman in determination.  
He half expected her to shake her head and give him the old ‘she needs rest and quiet’ stick. So he was pleasantly surprised when she nodded. "There is a spell I know of," she explained. "I don't know for certain that it will work, but Miroku-san agrees that it at least holds promise. But If we were to try, we would need your help."

"Anything," he replied without so much as a second thought.

She tilted her head toward the wooden sliding door and he walked forward.  
"So what do you need ME to do? Go get some ingredients for this spell?" he asked as he entered, rolling his shoulders as if preparing to throw a punch.

His gaze fixed on Kagome where she lay on her futon bandaged and covered with several blankets. Sango was sitting close by gathering up Kaede's healing supplies. Shippo and Kirara were not present. They'd been kept in Kaede's normal hut while Kagome was moved to this hut at the edge of the village. This place was used for more long-term patients and people with contagious illnesses. As far as he could tell the old priestess wanted to keep things quiet while they worked.

"No. The spell itself is very simple."

"Then..? What? Do you need me to hold her down or something?" he asked with a look of distaste. The idea of holding Kagome down while she struggled clearly did not appeal to him in the slightest.

"No. I need someone close to Kagome to form a connection between souls that can help mend it."

"I- What?!"

"I know well enough that ye heard me. Thine ears are not decoration."

"And you want me?! Nononono, what about Sango?" he asked, looking at the slayer a little desperately. She glanced back at him only briefly with a look of apology before turning back to her task.  
"Neither Sango nor Miroku would have much success I'm afraid. We tested both already and she rejected them. Their souls are simply not close enough to hers to make the connection."

"Look I- if they couldn't do it what makes you think I can?! I can't make a connection like that!"

"Of course, ye can. And worry not. Miroku and I will maintain the spell."

"What-?"

The old woman sighed wearily. "Inuyasha ye know I wouldn't ask this unless it was Kagome-chan's only hope."

Inuyasha winced, his ears pressing against his head. "I just don't think I'm the right person to 'heal' someone's soul," he replied softly.

She smiled. "Young Kagome has already lowered her barrier for ye correct?"

He hesitantly nodded.

"It is my belief that such an act says everything there is to say about who is right to connect with her. The soul is a strange thing Inuyasha, and it will not allow just anyone in. Only an already powerful bond makes a connection such as this work." At his baffled expression, she managed to chuckle. "Think of it this way. This is simply another barrier. If she trusts ye she will let ye in."

"If you say so," he answered uncertainly.

"We're ready to start Kaede-Obaba," Miroku interrupted.

"Aye, in a moment," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at the monk as he settled himself into a meditative pose. "So, are ye up to the task ahead?" she asked, looking back at Inuyasha  
He nodded. "Yeah. If you say this will help Kagome then I believe you."

She gave him a comforting smile and nodded in return. "The spell is meant to give two souls a connection. If ye can maintain the connection for the entire night ye should be able to give her the power she needs to mend herself. But as far as I know, it has never been done between a demon and a priestess, let alone with a half demon."

"Fair enough..." he sighed.

"Now, Inuyasha I need ye to lie down," she said, motioning with her head towards Kagome's sickbed. He shot the old woman a look of startled confusion.

"W-What?"

"All ye need do for us is sleep by Kagome and NOT wake up until the spell is complete."

A blush fought its way to the surface and his mouth gaped a little in surprise.  
"Go on now," she said unflinchingly. He shut his mouth at her tone and hesitantly walked toward the bed but didn't immediately do as he was told. The old miko took her own place on a well-worn cushion beside the girl. Kagome lay perfectly still. Her arms and her neck were the most visibly bandaged places He could see from her sickbed. The rest of her was covered by a thick blanket. But he'd seen the blood before and he doubted much else of her had escaped damage.

He could smell several different medicinal mixes on her. Some for deep bruises, others to keep wounds from getting infected, some for pain...  
Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's unguarded face, feeling his cheeks get warmer and warmer as his so-called friends nudged him towards her sickbed.

"You're SURE I have to SLEEP next to her to do this?"

"Time is SHORT," Kaede reminded him sternly.

"Then at least get THEM out of here so they won't fucking grin at me like that through the whole thing!" Inuyasha demanded, looking more pointedly toward the monk than the demon slayer.  
Kaede turned and gave Sango a dismissive nod. The slayer nodded in return, flashing one last worried glance at their injured friend before gathering up the last of the supplies in a basket and leaving. As she walked out the door she put her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder gently and whispered "Good luck," before pushing aside the wooden door and leaving. Miroku however remained. A small bemused grin the likes of which Inuyasha had dreaded played across his features.

"Him too," Inuyasha growled.

"Kaede and I have to remain here until the connection is fully formed," Miroku explained reasonably, keeping the grin and raising an eyebrow at the outburst.  
The half-demon narrowed his eyes at his friend. "God damn it, Fine. But if I hear ONE word from you about this..."  
Miroku raised a hand. "I swear I will not utter a single breath about this. Happy?"

Inuyasha growled again, if half-heartedly. He still felt flustered about the situation even without two extra sets of eyes watching him curl up with Kagome on a tiny futon. But at least he knew Kaede wouldn't tease him, and he could always wring the monk’s neck later if he broke his word…

"Fine," he grumbled dejectedly. "The pervert can stay."

The monk simply nodded.

"Now be warned, I have heard strange tales about this spell."

‘Just what anyone would WANT to hear right before letting someone cast a spell on them.’ he reflected sourly.  
"Like what?"

"Rumors say that souls who connect this way May peer into each other's memories and dreams or fall into strange illusions of the heart."

"Then I could see some kind of weird dreams?" he asked a little incredulously.  
"I think it very likely. But if ye do see such visions, do not let them wake ye up early. Remember the longer ye stay asleep and let thine power go to Kagome-chan the better her chances. But If ye do not pass enough energy along she will die within a few hours,” she warned him. “So I will need ye to be as comfortable as possible. Whatever it takes ye to stay asleep. And worry not, there are protection spells in place and thine friends shall be on guard."

Carefully, he stretched himself out at Kagome's side with his back against the wall and pulled some of her covers over his waist. He looked up at Kaede expectantly.  
"Now, close thine eyes and think of Kagome," she instructed seriously. "The trust ye have in each other, and the time ye have spent together. Any good memory should help spark the connection needed."

Inuyasha did as he was told and closed his eyes. He pictured Kagome smiling at him. It was a pretty general picture of her. But he hated that Kaede and Miroku KNEW he was thinking of her. It bugged the hell out of him until it was getting harder and harder to think of even that one simple image. At the back of his head, someone loomed over him very much aware of his thoughts.

"I need ye to relax as ye do this."

He flinched and silently let out a breath he didn't fully realize he had been holding. Taking a second breath, he sighed and told himself firmly that it didn't matter if others were watching him.  
It was important that he do this right or he would never get to see Kagome again.

He leaned himself more against her battered body and obediently relaxed. It was just him and Kagome. Nothing else mattered. Timidly, he pressed his nose to her neck and it helped his concentration tremendously.

Slowly his thoughts turned to more pleasant memories. The smell of Kagome and grass on the summer nights she had sat with him and just talked about nothing. The way she would get angry or laugh. The times she had cried for him and praised him. Those were his favorite memories. Probably because when she treated him like her closest friend in the world... He felt like he had a place he finally belonged. It was a peaceful feeling.  
What would he do if he lost Kagome? How would he survive that? 

Somewhere deep down, he knew he wouldn't.

The strong smell of grass and forest was carried on a light breeze that pushed Kagome's scent in his direction. He inhaled it all deeply and turned to peer through the long grass where the young girl sat examining a white flower in her hands.  
He crouched low watching her silently. She either hadn't yet realized he was there, or she was too polite to call him out. Either way, he wasn't really sure he felt like talking just then anyway. He'd just wanted to see what she had been doing out here all by herself.  
Abruptly the wind blew the flower away from her hands. She blinked in surprise and watched with a faraway expression as the blossom got smaller and smaller. He suddenly wondered if he should have caught it for her.

Even as he thought this, he looked away from the sky and back at Kagome.  
Staring back at him on the grassy hill was a girl Kagome's size in a long, white, many-layered kimono wearing a mask that covered her eyes. Her long black hair was elegantly tied up with a silver hairpin inset with opals.

"K-Kagome?" he asked in a startled voice.  
The woman tilted her head and smiled slightly. Whether it was a happy smile or a murderous one he couldn't tell with her mask in place.

Inuyasha frowned and approached cautiously.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted in a voice that was so alike and yet so un-alike Kagome's that it left him confused. 

"I'm here to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on FF.Net here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3783208/Gypsyn  
> -  
> I'm on Tumblr here: https://gypsin.tumblr.com/  
> and here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/punapurreciator (if you want my Miraculous Ladybug blog)  
> -  
> My Deviantart page is here: https://gypsyn13.deviantart.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Staring back at him on the grassy hill was a girl Kagome's size in a long, white, many layered kimono wearing a mask that covered her eyes. Her long black hair was elegantly tied up with a silver hairpin inset with opals.
> 
> "K-Kagome?" he asked in a startled voice.  
> The woman tilted her head and smiled slightly. Whether it was a happy smile or a murderous one he couldn't tell with her mask in place.
> 
> Inuyasha frowned and approached cautiously.
> 
> "Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted in a voice that was so alike and yet so un-alike Kagome's that it left him confused. 
> 
> "I'm here to talk."

"...Who are you?"

"I am nobody," she answered with a soft laugh. 

"Nobody huh? Then what do I call you?"

"I don't know."

He growled under his breath. "If you wanna talk then take off the mask," he demanded.

"I can't."

"You can't or you won't?"

"I can't," she repeated.

"Of course you can it's just a damn mask."

"You misunderstand. I cannot take away the mask because to do so would confuse you."  
Inuyasha watched the girl with an uncomfortable expression. This definitely wasn't Kagome. She just didn't talk like this…

The woman sighed. "It is difficult to explain what I am in a way you could understand... But I suppose many would simply say that I am a soul."

Inuyasha's ears perked. "Kagome's soul?"

"Yes. That is the name of the girl I reside within at the moment."

He hesitated. He didn't know what to say to her. What to think…  
"Are you like... the true form of Kagome and Kikyo both?"

The woman giggled and flashed him a smile. "In a way. Although to be honest I have very little of either Kagome or Kikyo within me at the moment. Most of Kikyou's part of soul wanders far from me and for the time being Kagome doesn't even realize that she ever existed. But I am made up of far more than the two girls you have already met. This soul has been reincarnated over and over again for nearly seven hundred years. And like this, I remember all of it. Each and every child that my essence has brought into being. But I only truly awaken like this when that child someday dies. I do not get to experience their lives first hand. I am an energy more than a true being."

"Then!?"

"No, she is not dead. This is a special case."

"Kagome." She said the name wistfully. "She woke me up to defeat her foe, something none of my other incarnates could have possibly done. However, I suppose that's not too surprising. She was always a very strong-willed child. With the right motivation, she is quite capable of reaching her full potential. I lent her my power for just a moment, and I who have experienced the lives of hundreds of powerful fighters easily defeated her enemy and put up a barrier for her. But it was too late. The damage to the soul... Specifically, the part that houses Kagome's heart was too broken for me to heal on my own. Right now she is in fragments and I cannot directly intervene."

The woman sighed. "She has been surviving off my power up until this point. But from this moment on, she in now reliant on the youkai you are giving her, and that has consequences. That's why I needed to talk to you. If you keep giving her your energy then part of that power will stay locked inside of her forever."

"I won't leave her to die," Inuyasha declared coldly. His eyes were sharp.

She seemed to give him a sympathetic look. "Inuyasha... There are fates much worse than death. After a certain point, it stops becoming about wanting to save Kagome and more about serving your own desires."

"How dare-"

"You want her to live. I understand!" she interrupted pleadingly. "But doesn't it matter what shape she is in? Is it not selfish if It doesn't matter how little of her you can call back from the depths? Even a scrap of a soul will do if that's what it takes to keep her body moving?"

He hesitated, and the woman carried on in ruthless frankness.  
"You have already allowed Kikyou's ghost to carry on that way and we both know she is little less than a shadow of the woman she once was. Would you force that fate on Kagome as well? Is that not selfishness?"  
"No! I just..." Inuyasha recoiled from the woman and looked at his own feet. He thought of all the times Kagome had held his hand and cried for him. All the times they had talked about nothing and argued and laughed... He thought about the last time he'd seen her awake. She had told him goodnight and curled up with Shippo in her sleeping bag and then she had fallen asleep. Completely oblivious to what was about to happen to her. The torture. Her soul breaking, coming this close to dying... 

She had gone to sleep that night believing that he would protect her. And he had failed.

"I can't just let go of her. If it's a choice between leaving her to die or forcing her to suffer... I'd almost rather..." He cut himself off. The words 'I'd rather stay here.' echoed in his head. If this was the closest he would ever get to be with Kagome again...  
"Just... What are you saying I should I do..?" he asked after a moment.

"Going on could bring Kagome suffering. That's true. But It is also entirely possible that everything will work out. But only if you make a promise and keep it."

He looked up hopefully. "What promise?"

"If you want to bring Kagome back you have to promise to stay with her for the rest of your life. If that is impossible for you then turn back now and let Kagome die."

He stared at her confused and angry. "Explain," he snapped.

"You are even now giving Kagome some of your youkai, and that is a potent power. Your demonic energy is so strong that even you can become a full demon just by letting yourself go. And you are GIVING some of that energy to a young untrained priestess with tremendous power by her own right. You are feeding a human body a dangerous cocktail. But that's not the truly worrying part."

"What is?"

"The part that worries me is that This soul was already deeply wounded by Kikyou's resurrection before this instance, and now with Your soul filling in the gaps it has a rather large cache to pour all that extra power into."

"...What would happen to her?"

"Your youkai is helping to keep her alive. But her body or mind may reject your demon later and tear itself apart trying to push against it when her own power returns. However, To make a connection between souls in the first place your energies would have to be fairly compatible so it's unlikely that such a thing would happen. But it is still a possibility that needs to be considered."

"More likely, she will adapt, and your youkai and her reiki will find some sort of balance."

He must have looked confused because she sighed and changed her approach.

"Think of it like this, you have a broken cup."  
From nowhere she summoned a gray sake cup that lingered in the air above her fingertips for a moment and then fell apart into her hand.  
"And You try to fix the cup by gluing it back together with more clay." 

She lightly tossed the pieces up in the air and he watched mesmerized as they drifted towards each other. A red clay was added in between each shard right before his eyes and the pieces mashed themselves together leaving behind only thin red cracks where the pieces had been fused.  
"That's what the spell you're using is meant to do with your souls. But you are missing some." 

She turned the cup with a flick of her wrist and revealed a large hole where a shard was missing.  
She snapped her fingers and he watched as the red clay filled the gap between the gray pieces completing the cup. It disappeared.

Before he could really recover from her demonstration she was already speaking again.  
"It should only come as common sense that if such a large part of the soul is a demon's, it would be turning her at least partially demon as well."

He suddenly felt woozy.

"What?" he asked breathlessly. "How is that... Even possible?"

"Demons are beings of energy more than flesh and blood. And that energy is... flexible. Often even renewable... It's why they can change their form, draw upon that energy in combat and do so many other amazing things. Your youkai is your demon's essence and And your soul is the purest aspect of that essence. If you give even a third your soul to another being it should come as no surprise that they would start to change."

"Into a hanyou?" he asked perplexed.

"Perhaps. I don't think we could really say ahead of time just how demonic she would become. She might just get your healing ability or she might end up getting every demonic feature that you yourself possess."

"But that's not possible," he protested.

"Onigumo managed it in his own way. It just wasn't as clean."  
Inuyasha shut his mouth quickly and looked away. Comparing Kagome to Naraku felt... Sick.

"When it comes down to it. Kagome will likely either become a partial demon or she will die. And that decision is entirely up to you."  
She looked at him silently now. And even though he couldn't see her eyes he had a feeling it was a gauging look.  
It was chilling to hear... Chilling to think, he had to let Kagome die. Bury her... Or force her to live on as a hanyou, belittled and rejected at every turn.  
But...  
"I love you as a half-demon Inuyasha!" echoed Kagome's voice in his head. 'Could she really hate me if I turned her hanyou too?' he wondered.

"What Kagome would think?" he asked mostly to himself.

To his surprise, the woman replied. "I couldn’t tell you. Kagome's consciousness does not exist at the moment. I can only give you my opinion." He looked back at her reluctantly.

"I think that she wouldn't want to die but she wouldn't want you to save her just so she could live alone either. If you save her she's going to need you."

"Alone?"

"If you follow through with your promise to Kikyou's specter after bringing Kagome back, then she will be left alone once everyone she knows and loves dies of old age.” her voice dropped a little. “And you know what that's like better than anyone."

"..."

"I had to tell you all the risks before you move on. You needed to be able to make an informed decision."

"...I understand," he answered slowly. His stomach felt twisted up. Kill her or ostracize her. What a terrible decision.

"You haven't yet reached the point of no return, there's still time to think about it. If you want to appease Kikyo's estranged ghost and don't want to end up stuck with Kagome for a very long lifetime, then wake up soon."

He nodded solemnly.

"But if you decide to keep going all you have to do is just stay in the dream as long as possible. The more you dig into her heart and her memories the firmer your soul's grasp on her will become." She gave him another smile. "And If you do change her It would be best to perform a mating ritual as soon as your both back up to full strength."

Inuyasha's face flushed bright red. "WHAT?"

"Don't be a child," the woman laughed lightly. "What do you think a promise like that means? She'd be reliant on YOU for the rest of her life. She wouldn't GET to marry anyone else. Her new demonic qualities and her bond with you would likely shut that door behind her forever."

"I-I just... Why immediately?"

"Well other than the fact that she would bear your mark and it would be a binding even the thick-headed Kouga could understand..?" she teased.  
Inuyasha allowed a small snort of laughter at that. That part of it would be gratifying indeed. 'Well, that and everything else that comes with mating Kagome...' he thought, fighting down a returning blush.  
It wasn't like the idea didn't highly appeal to him. But two things had always gotten the way of taking that particular fantasy seriously. One was, of course, Kikyo. Two: he was certain that if he had ever asked Kagome to be his wife or his mate or whatever then it would have ended very badly. She had her own world to go back to someday. Or at least... She used to.

Inuyasha's newfound companion crossed her arms and tilted her head with a more serious look.  
"I'm not entirely certain what would happen if you just leave things be. I’m certain that your remaining soul would regenerate fairly easily since you use that part of yourself to fight and don't have an issue with it. And the portion of soul you give to Kagome will likely continue to fill in the gaps... but the question is, what happens when there are no gaps left? I suspect that If you never reconnect with her and simply let your youkai go unchecked then it might start to take over the rest of her soul and turn this into a full-blown possession. She could lose her humanity like you occasionally do and turn on all of you. And once that starts I don't know of any way to reverse it other than an exorcism and that might kill her if the soul is still relying on your youkai to hold it together."

He shuddered at the thought of Kagome being forced into the demon state he so hated.

“Becoming her mate would give you a better connection to her soul, and in theory, it would stop the transformation from getting any worse.”

“I understand.” 

He looked back out at the night. Stars gleamed down at them from a dark blue sky. The breeze rustled his hair. It all felt so real.

"...I'm going on," he informed her decisively.  
The woman nodded and gave a graceful half-bow. "Thank you for listening to me Inuyasha."

He acknowledged her with a slight nod. "Thanks For explaining all this... I guess." And then a thought occurred to him. "Can you tell me one more thing?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You said before… That MOST of Kikyou’s heart isn’t here but... If there’s even a little left... Can you tell me how Kikyo would feel about all this?" His ears pressed against his head. "Does she hate me?"

There was a long pause.

"Inuyasha... I don't hate you," replied Kikyou's voice softly.

He looked back with wide eyes. 

The woman in the mask smiled. But this time, he knew it was a sad smile. His breath caught in his throat.

"If I had ever truly hated you then I wouldn't have sent you Kagome."

And with that, she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on FF.Net here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3783208/Gypsyn  
> -  
> I'm on Tumblr here: https://gypsin.tumblr.com/  
> and here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/punapurreciator (if you want my Miraculous Ladybug blog)  
> -  
> My Deviantart page is here: https://gypsyn13.deviantart.com/

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr  
> (you can find my Inuyasha/main blog here: https://gypsin.tumblr.com/ )  
> (and my Ladybug blog here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/punapurreciator )
> 
> You can also find me on FF.Net here: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3783208/Gypsyn
> 
> And my friend and editor Mustardyellowsunshine (Robin) and I also host a podcast together! So if you want to hear us obsess over Inuyasha stuff you should check that out here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dogboycast
> 
> Whew, I think that's everything. Later! and enjoy the story!!


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